March 2, 2011
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Combining school systems for the benefit of all
Presentation to the Orange Community Meeting
EDUCATIONAL COLLABORATION,
CENTRAL OFFICE CONSOLIDATION,
AND DISTRICT REGIONALIZATION
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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Balancing the need for local control with educational
effectiveness and efficiency
Taking the time to work out agreements that are in the
best interests of all (towns, schools, children, taxpayers)
Making sure that one thing is working before moving on to
the next
Recognizing that consolidation and regionalization are
done to improve education
Working to make sure that your students are getting the
best possible education for the educational resources that
are available.
Recognition of the importance of local control, local
decision-making, local interests
March 2, 2011
OUR APPROACH TO REGIONALIZATION
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National Institute for School Leadership
 Response to Intervention
 Tools of the Mind
 Learning Walks
March 2, 2011
EDUCATIONAL COLLABORATION
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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This year:
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Shared Special Education Administrative team
Next year (beginning July 1st):
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Shared Superintendent of Schools
Shared Assistant Superintendent for Teaching
Learning and Accountability (0.3 FTE)
Shared Assistant Superintendent for Elementary
Education
Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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March 2, 2011
CENTRAL OFFICE CONSOLIDATION
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Secondary
Elementary
Economies of shared
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central office
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Maintaining a strong
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elementary focus
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Shared professional
development (all 4 schools)
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Strengthened horizontal
alignment and sharing
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Assistant Superintendent
of Teaching, Learning and
Accountability (0.3 FTE)
Strengthened vertical
alignment of curriculum,
professional development
and assessment, preK-12
Ability to look at a child’s
educational career from
kindergarten to
graduation from high
school
Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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March 2, 2011
CENTRAL OFFICE CONSOLIDATION AND EDUCATIONAL
COLLABORATION: BENEFITS TO THE SCHOOLS
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Shared health insurance negotiations
 Regional Planning Committee has been meeting
very regularly
 Regional Agreement is being amended to create a
‘hybrid’ Mahar K-12 Regional School District
March 2, 2011
SCHOOL DISTRICT REGIONALIZATION
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
Petersham and Orange will be full K-12 members
 Wendell and New Salem will continue to be 7-12
members
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When full regionalization occurs:
 There will be one common Mahar K-12 school committee
 Costs will be shared according to the amended Regional
Agreement
 The district will receive Regional Transportation
Reimbursement.
Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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With a Consolidated Central Office:
 Each school committee will have full authority over its
own schools
 The central office team will report separately to each
school committee
 Costs for shared positions will be allocated through
contracts and shared cost agreements
March 2, 2011
HOW DOES CONSOLIDATION DIFFER FROM
REGIONALIZATION?
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INTERESTS TO BE BALANCED IN THE NEW
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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Constructing a new School Committee that represents all
towns and all schools
Maintaining a reasonable degree of local control regarding
both budget and education
Balancing the needs and resources of one large town and
three smaller towns
Allowing for a significant difference between towns in
historical and current levels of per pupil expenditures
Allowing for School Choice funding streams to continue to
flow to specific schools
Maintaining a strong emphasis on elementary education
March 2, 2011
REGIONAL AGREEMENT
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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The Mahar K-12 Regional District School Committee will
consist of 12 members, elected biennially.
 Orange
five members
 Petersham
three members
 Wendell
two members
 New Salem
two members
Members will be elected at large, with a residency
requirement.
Only Orange and Petersham members will vote on matters
affecting elementary schools.
 There will be eight members only voting on elementary
matters
March 2, 2011
KEY PROVISIONS IN THE CURRENT DRAFT OF THE
AMENDED REGIONAL AGREEMENT: GOVERNANCE
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SCHOOLS
Only a town can decide
whether or not to close a
school.
Only a town can decide
whether or not to move a
grade level from an
elementary school to the
Mahar building.
Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
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FINANCES
Budgets must be approved
by the School Committee
by a 2/3 margin (eight
votes).
Intra-district choice may
be made available.
Towns will have the option
to direct additional funding
to their town elementary
school(s).
School Choice dollars will
continue to flow to
individual schools.
March 2, 2011
KEY PROVISIONS IN THE CURRENT DRAFT
OF THE AMENDED REGIONAL AGREEMENT:
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
The Regional Planning Committee must first
agree on an amended Regional Agreement.
 All four Mahar member towns must then approve
the agreement at annual or special town
meetings.
 The Commissioner of Education must then
approve the agreement (by December 1st) in order
for the agreement to take effect the following
July 1st.
 We’re working directly with DESE as we draft
the amended agreement, to ensure that the final
draft will be approved.
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March 2, 2011
PROCESS FOR AMENDING THE REGIONAL
AGREEMENT
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Presentation to the Orange Community
Meeting
Questions about Central Office Consolidation:
 http://www.rcmahar.org/central-office-consolidationwebsite/
Questions to Superintendent Burnim:
 paulburnim@orange-elem.org
Questions to Superintendent Baldassarre:
 mbaldassarre@rcmahar.org
Questions to Superintendent Martin:
 drmartin@petershamcenterschool.org
Questions to the Mahar Regional Planning Committee:
 m.leblanc75@yahoo.com
Questions to Ken Rocke:
 krocke48@gmail.com
March 2, 2011
For further information…
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